Do 40 km/h over speed limit in BC, car gets impounded.

[popp]

Re: Do 40 km/h over speed limit in BC, car gets impounded.

The crazier you are the safer you are.........

[Wildfire]

Re: Do 40 km/h over speed limit in BC, car gets impounded.

J-Hop may I ask if you have you ever driven in Europe?
The reason I ask is that I agree the driving styles, habits are a bit different. The speed limit in this country being in Kilometers is a psychological factor.
Since you mentioned Europe and speed I'd like to share my experience to further this debate.
One time a few years back I was at a friends (UK) in Leicester. Leicester is a around 100 miles away from London (About 160K). I drove that morning during the rush hour on the M1 motorway and my average speed was 90mph (144.8kph) and I was keeping up with traffic. Highway speedlimt in England is 70mph(112.7kph). You had the 'speeders' in the third lane doing at least 100mph (160.9kph). Now ive driven on this stretch of highway another time (M1 motorway) at at an average speed of 100mph and Ive been the slowest car on the road (160.9kph).
I drove from Bristol to London after a job interview and again driving back home to London on the M4 at 95mph. Average speed of traffic was 85mph (128.7 kph)and I was constantly getting shoved over by BMW's, Mercs etc.
I was in London last month and my sister picked me up. I was scared by her driving and how fast people were going, then I remembered...I used to drive like that.

Now in Canada you roads are much better, they are more open and I would say better maintained. There are less cars. The reason I say the speed limit is in Km compounds the argument that such speeds of 120k or 140km are way too high. Just convert that to MPH and 140km is 86.99mph, thats just above average motorway speed in the UK. Its just seems higher because its in Km. I think thats part of the problem. Its easy to jump about and say how high it is.
I don't think Europeans are better drivers etc. Drivers are just adapted to the environment and speed. Just like I think Canadian drivers are way better at driving in snow that us British chums. They are patient and give way (comparing to London). Or even just like the video Popp posted, I couldn't drive there.
When one drives at speed. Over time one adapts, ie. you keep a bigger braking distance, your looking ahead, your using your rear view mirror to get out of the way of overtaking drivers etc. Your learn. If your used to driving at a low speed limit, then driving faster will naturally feel alien and hence unable to react.

I personally think the speed limits are waaay too slow here (but when in Rome do as the Romans do). I also think is there is too much of a cotton wool mentality here in regards to the way government treats speed and the public. I agree the higher powers need to protect the public, but I find it unreal the way the issue of speed is addressed. But if the issue is 'safety' then the polices attention should not be on speeders. It should be on intoxicated drivers. Since moving here three years ago I am shocked how many people will drink and drive. Its like the cultural norm. Its bad to speed but accepted to drink and drive? No brainier in my opinion. I'd like to see the statistic on those two.
If the road accident statics are on par as Europe then technically I could say Canadians come off worse. As I said above you have less cars on the road, roads are better, you have more traffic police and ironically your speed limits are slower. So how can road accidents be the same?
I agree speed is a factor. It always will be. Ive been in two car accidents. I don't think speed is the major factor behind accidents, but is one of many variables.

But going back to the speed limit. This argument that 90km is safer than 110km. To me its a no brainier. Your only as safe as the experience of the drivers around you (& conditions of the environment).
I think 90km speed limit is slow, but I agree on some parts you have to drop the speed limit if some trucks can barley get up to 50km at the top of the hill.

But Im with Rondal on this one. If one really wants to address of people going over the speed and is serious about addressing it then the licensing system needs to be revised.

i think its a case of the grass is greener, if you look at statistics for death toll per capita due to road accidents canada ranks on par with europe.

Don't know why people on here keep saying canadians are worse drivers and claim that europeans have this amazing driver training. I have many friends from overseas who say in europe its just as bad but just a different kind of bad because the driving styles and road styles are so different.

but I'm glad to see in the end people seem to agree speed is always a factor and thus laws like this are very important to saving lives. Sure there will always be people speeding on a regular basis, but there is no doubt in my mind if you were to increase these 90 zones to 110 to try to appease these speeders than people would start doing 130 on a regular basis, just look at how bad the #1 is just outside of town on the way home after the long weekend, people are pushing 150-160 in fast lane all the time.

What provinces need to start doing is making it unaffordable to speed, not that im preaching like I never speed, but I am also not one to whine and whine and whine all day about photoradar, more strict laws, police cracking down etc etc. You knowingly break the law you pay the price, I thought most parents taught their kids that at an early age but I guess not

[R_Ethug]

Re: Do 40 km/h over speed limit in BC, car gets impounded.

alex that video.. vietnam was 100000x worse! after a few days of taxi's we got so used to it was funny as hell!

rule of road=bigger you are get the F out of the way LOL

fun times

[Satnam]

Re: Do 40 km/h over speed limit in BC, car gets impounded.

unrelated
http://www.calgarysun.com/news/colum.../15367286.html

[vee_dubbin]

Re: Do 40 km/h over speed limit in BC, car gets impounded.

Unrelated but good info....
Calgary has so many fishing holes for the greedy cops that prey on everyday motorists. Maybe the same will happen here where they concentrate their attention to drinking and driving and not wearing seatbelts which are proven to be the 2 main killers in vehicle crashes. It'll b nice once they focus on saving lives instead of there pockets.

[J-hop]

Re: Do 40 km/h over speed limit in BC, car gets impounded.

just remember they can't line their pockets if you don't break the law!!!! can't be greed if you're willingly giving them the opportunity!!!! logic wins

[RONDAL]

Re: Do 40 km/h over speed limit in BC, car gets impounded.

unrelated
http://www.calgarysun.com/news/colum.../15367286.html

i saw this on the news, but i'd like to see the statistics they pulled from.

we all know you can take any type of data and get it to read whatever you want by manipulating it in certain ways. 97% of all stats are made up anyway

[Benjamin]

Re: Do 40 km/h over speed limit in BC, car gets impounded.

They had the stat on the side of buses that was 25% fatal crashes were from speeding. If true, then why do they focus most of their resources on only 25% of the problem?

If most people stopped speeding the city would do something to get their revenue back. Speeders are easy to catch with today's technology and easy to convict as numbers are numbers.

I would love to see the cops sitting at the end of an off ramp with the speed gun handing out tickets to those that don't get to the speed of traffic by the end. Don't ask me how to do this logistically, but I am sure they would do just as good if not better then the speed traps.

[Wildfire]

Re: Do 40 km/h over speed limit in BC, car gets impounded.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/...ted-risks.html

[CanadianCoupe]

Re: Do 40 km/h over speed limit in BC, car gets impounded.

As Wildfire pointed out, you can be doing 90 mph in the UK and still have vehicles fly past you. The speed limit is 70 mph which is disregarded and most do at least 80mph. People know to get out of the way and leave plenty of space.

I'm not sure what it's like now what with all the speed cameras on the motorways. These are just revenue generators as the motorways are the safest roads. The speed is higher but due to crash barriers there are very few head on accidents.

The standard of driving over here is very poor. I'm always amazed at how many people I see using a mobile phone, texting, talking whilst facing the passenger, reading a map, dogs all over the place, steering with knees, holding a cup of coffee, holding wheel with one hand between their legs etc etc.

I wait for the bus to work in the middle of a school zone and see most of the above daily. Sure in the UK you get idiots doing this as well but most people have enough common sense to know it's dangerous.

Speed is always going to be a factor in accidents unless you are rear ended in which case you weren't going fast enough!! Of course if you were going slower you'd have more time to react and have better control of your vehicle but it's probably not the cause of the accident.

I drive to the conditions. 90 km/h in the Jeep feels fast and I'm happy to drive at that in the parks. However in the FIAT it feels painfully slow, I find that I'm less attentive at that speed that at say 20 km/hr faster. The roads are so straight, wide and flat which is a good job as most people tailgate.

[J-hop]

Re: Do 40 km/h over speed limit in BC, car gets impounded.

The standard of driving over here is very poor. I'm always amazed at how many people I see using a mobile phone, texting, talking whilst facing the passenger, reading a map, dogs all over the place, steering with knees, holding a cup of coffee, holding wheel with one hand between their legs etc etc.

me neither, I'm glad this guy got pwn'd for it (well I would say the $2000 fine is pretty weak though, more like a slap on the wrist)

http://www.calgaryherald.com/technol...376/story.html


too bad someones life had to be put at risk to teach this guy a lesson

[Yasek]

Re: Do 40 km/h over speed limit in BC, car gets impounded.

I would argue on the sense of driving ability. Though we may be on par with EU countries with accidents. Our roads throughout the country are less "complex".

My cousins just completed their license training, they were required to complete X amount of on road hours with an instructor driving various location, distances ect. In class portion of the licensing requires law knowledge and vehicle knowledge like where you brake fluid reservoir is located how to check it, how does your motor work ect. final exam includes verbal, written and driving portion.

That is proper training.

From what i can recall Sweden has the best training available:
* Driving tests ( Usually around 13 or 14 before you are ready for the final test )

* Risk 2 ( Hazard education ), This test teaches you how to maneuver your vehicle in the winter if it's slippery, how to brake most effectively.
The theoretical tests in Sweden consists of 8 tests.

* Phase A,B and C ( Traffic & Risks )
* Phase Vehicle ( How to maintain your vehicle )
* Phase Repeat ( Repetition of prior steps but with additional questions )
* Phase Final test ( Recreating a final test from "Vägverket" )

You'll also have to take the "Risk 1" theoretical training about drugs, alcohol and driving.

WE NEED THIS.